Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



WEssoN an HARRINGTUN.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm- No. 25,926. l Patented 0011. 25, 1859.*`

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'Uiurrmi @rares F. VESSOX AND N. S. HARRNGTON, OF VORCESTER,

Barum# @mica M ASS ACHUSETTS. l

lllVlPFOVEh/IENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS. d

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25.926, dated October 25, 1859.

To LIZ whom t naa/y concern:

Be it known that we, F. VEssoN and N. S. HARRINGTON, of the city and county of Vorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brcech-Loading Pistols, of which the i'ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l represents a elevation of a pistol embracing our improvements. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same with the breech of the barrel raised in position to receive the cartridge, and Fig. 3 represents a front elevation of the stock with the barrel removed.

Our improvements in iire-arms relate to that classV of breech-loaders in which the breech of the barrel is elevated to receive the charge, and in which the cartridge used is made with aprojectingiange arounditsbase. Thebreechloaders of this class as heretofore constructed, the arrangement of the mechanism for locking the barrel to the stock, and for releasing and elevating it to insert the charge, is complicated, cumbersome, and expensive in its construction, on which account the applicationof the principle of elevating the breech of the barrel to receive the charge has been found to be inapplicable to that description of small firearms with a concealed trigger or atrigger inclosed in a projection of the stock-such as are carried in the pocket or beltas in these arms it is essential for convenience that all parts should be simple in their construction and arrangement, and that the operating parts to which the hand is applied should be compact, convenient to the grasp, and at the same time protected by the form of the stock, so as not to be liable to catch in the pocket or ,belt in drawing the arm.

Among other modes adopted for locking the barrel, the longitudinal trigger-guard has been arranged to slide on the under plate of the stock and the front end to pass through this plate and extend a short ldistance above the lower edge of the barrel, and is provided with prongs or bolts which enter the breech and lock it to the stock; but this arrangement of the locking mechanism is not well adapted to the pocket-pistol, as they cannot be well used longitudinal sectional with the longitudinal guard without being too cumbersome, and, moreover, it is objectionable to connect the locking mechanism with I the guard, as the finger is liable to slip from the trigger in firing and strike the rear 'of the guard, by which the rear will be elevated at the same time the trigger is drawn. To overcome this and other defects in the releasing and holding mechanism of the barrel to the stock is the object of one part of our petition. Our invention consists in arranging a springbolt in the hollow of the stock on the under side of the barrel, the shank of which extends forward and is provided with a projecting knob at a convenient distance'from the trigger to be grasped by the trigger-lnger and drawn back to release the barrel; and our invention also consists in combining with a locking-bolt a spring arranged on the under side of the barrel and acting upon the stock, so as to elevate the breech when the bolt is withdrawn. The object of another part of our improvement is to pack the joint between the breech of the barrel and recoil-plate, and thus diminish the windage of the cart-ridge; and our invention for effecting this obj ect consists in plate to receive the flanged base of the cartridge, so as to force the edges of the flange in closer contact with the breech of the barrel, while at the same time the outer edges of the recoil-plate surround the base of the cartridge and form a close joint with the barrel and the recoil-plate.

In the accompanying drawings is represented a pocket-pistol embracing our improvements, which consists of a metal frame-stock, A, containing the mechanism of the lock, and holding the barrel B of the pistol.' A projection or side guard, g, `extends from the under side of the stock and nearly in line with the end of the breech and receives and protects the trigger h. The barrel B is a straight metallic tube open at both ends, and pivoted to the front end of the stock in such manner that its rear or breech may be elevatedv to receive the cartridge. The barrel is locked to the stock by a spring-bolt, c, in the bottom of the groove of the stock, which-catches into a notch, b, in the end of the barrel and locks it tothe stock. The bolt is held in the notch byasmall spring,

c, acting on the rear end of the bolt. A small forming a wedge-shaped recess in the recoilknob, d, in front of the trigger passes through the stock and is connected with the shank of the bolt at a convenient distance to be grasped by the trigger-nger- A spring, K, attached to the under side of the breech, extends forward and bears upon the hollow of the stock in front of the shank of the bolt, and by means of this spring the breech is elevated to receive the cartridge when the bolt is drawn back. A recoil-plate, D, in front of the hammer covers the breech of the barrel, and in its face is a wedge-shaped recess, f, to receive the base of the anged cartridge used with this pistol, and the width and depth of this recess are made to correspond with the diameter and thickness ofthe base of the cartridge. Outside of the recess the recoil-plate forms a close joint with the breech of the barrel. On inserting the eartridge and depressing the breech, the langed breech of the barrel and the recoilplate is l prevented.

The simplicity ofthe mechanism for locking i and unlocking its position, so

that it does not interfere with I the trigger the barrel, the arrangement oi' when placed nearly in line with the breech of the barrel, which is neeessaryin the pocket-pistol in order to give it greater com` pactness, the convenience with which it operates by extending the trigger-linger forward without removing the hand from its grasp 011 the stock, render it peculiarly applicable to I that description of pistols in which the trigger is protected by a side guard and arranged l directly below the barrel.

Having thus described our improvements in` f pistols, what we claim therein as new, and del sire to secure by Letters Patent of the United l States, isi l. The arrangement of the mechanism for I locking and unlocking the barrel, and the arl rangement of the trigger, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the locking and l the unlocking mechanism, ofthe spring K, arl ranged substantiall y as described, for el evating 3. In combination with the barrel, the wedge-shaped recess in the recoil-plate, arl ranged substantially as described, for the purl I pose set forth.

ln testimony whereof we have subscribed our names.

FRANKLIN VESSON. NATHAN S. HARRINCYON. VitneSses: I I. J. KEL'roN, i THOMAS RUSSELL. 

